This summer in Osceola will change their lives. It will also give them the opportunity–over the next three years and beyond–to help young people take charge of their lives. Our students, in Osceola and across Arkansas, are giving them the opportunity to teach them and to get to know them. These students are well worth knowing and well worth teaching. To the new fellows, your time with students is the best part of a very challenging summer, and the best part of a very challenging career. Enjoy it and welcome to Osceola!
Summer Institute
The ATC Summer Institute is a seven-week intensive training program that prepares Fellows to teach in high-need areas of Arkansas. Fellows gain foundational skills in four core areas of development: instruction, relationships, equity, and emotional resilience. As much as possible, Institute combines authentic classroom experience in a summer school setting with professional learning communities, guest speakers, and community partnerships to facilitate the most transformative learning environment possible both for teachers and summer school students.
Institute Vision
The ATC Summer Institute facilitates the growth, resilience, and professional development of Fellows and equips them to be empowered, equitable educators by developing their individual and collective teacher efficacy. Summer Institute is designed to provide Fellows with the skills, knowledge and beliefs to affect change in rural schools and communities. We believe through this process, our Fellows will be able to build community inside and out of the classroom resulting in measurable academic growth for students, outcomes-aligned professional growth for Fellows and leadership development for ATC.
Institute Mission
The ATC Summer Institute sets the conceptual, pedagogical and organizational foundation for Fellows’ three-year teaching commitment. Utilizing a cohort model, Institute is a seven-week intensive learning experience at the nexus of theory and practice. Fellows engage in sessions aligned with the four ATC development outcomes and individualized coaching from their Summer Mentor to cultivate the knowledge, skills and mindsets used in planning and teaching a rigorous, time-bound unit. Culminating in a growth presentation, Institute equips Fellows to strategically plan and prepare for their first year of teaching through reflection and goal-setting.
More About Virtual (Institute 2020-2022)
In the age of COVID-19, Summer Institute strives to convey the realities of a virtual classroom, building relationships with students remotely and delivering lessons on a variety of digital platforms, while putting the safety of students and Fellows first.
Read more about our virtual Institutes: Preliminary Findings Suggest Virtual Institute A Success (2020), Self-Care, Community Critical for Virtual Institute (2021)
More About Blytheville (Institute Site 2019)
More About Osceola (Institute Site 2017-2018)
